Banda hits life in various regions today Kathmandu,May 2: The general strike enforced on Wednesday by the Brahman Samaj Nepal has affected life in Jhapa district, RSS reports from BHaratpur. The Samaj has organized the general strike calling for removing the Brahmans from the list of ´others´ in the list of Nepal´s ethnic communities. The public transport vehicles have stayed off the highway and the branch roads since this morning. Schools and educational institutions are also closed after the sponsors of the general strike said that the banda would also take effect in educational institutions. Factories and industries are also closed due to the strike. Meanwhile in Rajbiraj (Sagarmatha), the district headquarters, Rajbiraj, is shut since this morning due to the banda or shutdown at the call of the Mithila State Joint Struggle Committee. The local Maithili community has constituted the struggle committee which called for the shutdown in the local town to protest the incident of bomb blast that took place in Janakpur on Monday. Public transport service, factories, schools and colleges, shops and businesses are closed since the morning due to the general strike. Similarly, in Chitwan, life in this district has been partially affected due to the Tarai-wide general strike organized by the Tharu National Liberation Front calling for declaring a Tharu autonomous state. However, the general strike has had full impact in Khirahani region in east Chitwan. Meanwhile, life has become hard in Biratnagar as well due to the East Region-wide general strike enforced today by the joint struggle committee comprising different ethnic and class organizations. The market, factories and businesses here are closed as a result of the general strike. Public transport service vehicles operating on long and short routes have also stayed off the roads since the morning today. Schools and colleges are also closed. However, the ongoing higher secondary school final examinations would not be disturbed, it is said. Ambulances, private motorcycles, rickshaws and the Press vehicles are operating. The joint struggle committee includes the Chhetri Samaj Nepal, the Brahman Samaj Nepal, the Khas Kshetriya Ekata Samaj, the Thakuri Samaj Mahasnagh, Nepal Dasnami Samaj, the Bibhed Mukti Pragatisheel Samaj and the Dalit Janajagaran Sewa Sangh. Also, the day-long Tarai-wide general strike enforced by the Tharu Struggle Committee has affected life in Dang since this morning. The committee organised the banda calling for guaranteeing federal units with Tharu identity while federalizing the country in the new constitution. Public transport vehicles plying on long and short routes from here are not operating. Market, factories, educational institutions and businesses are also closed due to the banda. The general strike has been organised demanding to declare the region from Chitwan to Kanchanpur in the west as the Tharuhat state while carrying out the state restructuring. Nnnn • • • CA RULE AMENDED TO PREPARE FIRST CONSTITUTION DRAFT Kathmandu, 2 May- The Constituent Assembly (CA) on Tuesday unanimously amended its rules of procedures to start the process of preparing the first draft of the constitution on the basis of majority votes. The amendment opens doors for referring the contentious issues of constitution making to the CA for voting. The proposal that secures a simple majority of the total members participating in the session will be enshrined in the first draft, according to the amendment, Phanindra Dahal writes in The Kathmandu Post reports. The Constitutional Committee will be directed to forge compromise on issues, which fail to garner a simple majority in the assembly. Leaders have said the decision gives 'a temporary way out' but could jeopardize constitution-making process given that there is no consensus among major parties on key issues like forms of governance and federalism. “The first draft can only come out from a simple majority but there is a requirement of a two-thirds majority for promulgation of the constitution,” said CPN-UML lawmaker Agni Kharel. “The amendment ends the ongoing stalemate but does not guarantee promulgation of the constitution.” The CA would start the process of voting on disputed issues from its next sitting scheduled for Thursday. “The process of preparing the first draft will move forward as per the new decision. But if the leaders fail to reach a compromise, there is a risk that the constitution will not be ready within the remaining time,” added Kharel. Putting the disputed issues to a vote was a key demand of the hard-line faction of the UCPN (Maoist) led by Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya. “We have been advocating for starting the process of preparing the first draft. The decision is positive and it guarantees preparation of the first draft on which people can debate,” said hardliner Dev Gurung. Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak said the decision to go for voting to prepare the first draft ensures a 'step by step' progress in constitution making. “After top leaders failed to reach common ground, there was no alternative to this decision,” he said. “We will still do our best to reach an understanding even after the process begins and concludes.” Parties have said they will try to get their agreements endorsed on judiciary, electoral system and citizenship from the Constitutional Committee rather than putting them to a vote in the CA. Two key issues-forms of governance and state restructuring-are likely to be referred to the CA for a majority decision. The fresh decision comes after top leaders of three major parties and the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha failed to reach a compromise from the constitutional talks that resumed after last month's progress in the peace process. The decision is likely to generate polarisation among parties in the CA and bring the Maoists and Madhes-based parties together. “We have certain differences with the Maoists on certain issues including state restructuring. We are yet to decide our strategy,” said Rajendra Mahato, Chairman of Sadbhawana Party. Dan Bahadur Chaudhary, General Secretary of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party Nepal, however, claimed that the Morcha would cooperate with the Maoists during the voting. The CA had last year formed a subcommittee to make recommendations on the amendment to the rules of procedures but it could not reach a compromise following differences among parties. The CA session was delayed for three hours on Tuesday after the panel led by Maoist lawmaker Amrita Thapa Magar took some time to finalise the proposal. The agenda on prescribing punishment to lawmakers charged with criminal offences was dropped from the amendment after the parties were deeply divided on the issue. Maoists are firm that the conflict-era cases should not be brought up for action in the parliamentary rule as they were of political nature. The Dispute Resolution Subcommittee headed by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal agreed to go for rule amendment on Tuesday morning. Leaders committed that they would continue efforts to find common ground before the voting that starts two days later. Speaker Subas Nembang held talks with top leaders of three major parties and the Madhesi Morcha and urged them to strike a deal to ensure constitution writing within the May 27 deadline. “I hope the leaders have given a serious thought to the crisis that will come if there is no constitution within the stipulated time frame,” he told leaders ahead of the subcommittee's meeting. Nnnn UML ALSO FAVOURS NO CONFIDENCE VOTE AGAINST MAOISTS Kathmandu, 2 May: The CPN-UML is preparing to table a no-confidence motion to topple the incumbent government with the support of the Baidya faction of the UCPN (Maoist) and a section of the Nepali Congress so that the parties could form a national unity government to deliver constitution on time, Bhadra Sharma writes in The Kathmandu Post During an informal meeting held at the party headquarters to brief on contemporary issues, Standing Committee member KP Sharma Oli proposed tabling a no-confidence motion against the government, saying that the government was conspiring against promulgation of a democratic constitution. “The government is conspiring to continue the incumbent alliance and impose ethnic federalism in the country,” one of the participants quoted Oli as saying. “So we need not continue supporting the government that fails to deliver the constitution on time but engages in conspiracy time and again.” In the meeting, Oli informed the leaders that the party would come up with vote of no confidence making alliance with a section of the NC and the Maoist hardliners. Oli has initiated efforts to press the party leadership to take an official decision on registering a no-confidence motion against the government, while some youth leaders have opposed the move terming it “an untimely decision”. In the meeting, leaders stated that the Maoist party was backtracking from earlier agreement so that the parties should come up with vote of no confidence to replace the government. “The prime minister has already reiterated not to step down. Given the situation, we have agreed to topple the present alliance and form a national consensus government in accordance with the seven-point agreement,” said UML leader Prakash Jwala, a close confidante of chairman Jhala Nath Khanal. According to him, top party leaders including Khanal, senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and leader Oli have similar views about introducing the motion with the support of a section of the NC and the Baidya faction. “The coalition is trying to breach the November 1 agreement by shying away from the issue of national consensus government. We fear that the government is trying to stoke ethnic tension and invite communal disharmony by pitching for ethnic federalism.” said Karna Bahadur Thapa, who is close to Oli. Standing Committee member Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Pashupati Chaulagain, Mahendra Pande, Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Bhanu Bhakta Jaisi, Prakash Jwala, Jagannath Khatiwada and Rameshwor Phuyal, among others, were present in the meeting. The meeting, however, could not take an official decision as most party leaders were out of the Capital. UML leaders have demanded that meetings of the Standing Committee, Central Committee and Parliamentary Party be called on Wednesday. After their internal discussion, NC and UML will jointly discuss the issue. NC, Maoists showdown The Nepali Congress (NC) and the UCPN (Maoist) have entered into a showdown, with either party, laying claim to the leadership of a national consensus government. While the NC has decided to explore every available option to form a national unity government under its leadership before May 27, the Maoist party is set to thwart NC’s mission. In a joint meeting of the NC Central Working Committee and Parliamentary Party at the CA, top leadership was given responsibility of acting in this direction. The meeting dwelt on alternatives the party would have to resort to in case the parties failed to reach a common understanding. Nnnn